Konami has finally spilled the beans on PES 2017, making an official announcement and revealing a boatload of new features in time for the E3 gaming expo.
Pro Evolution Soccer is a series well known to many. In fact, people of a certain age (mid to late twenties to, say, late thirties) hold the series in particularly high regard. While FIFA was dominating sales charts during the PS2-era with fancy graphics and Martin Tyler's dulcet tones, Pro Evolution Soccer (or PES or Pro Evo to its friends) was quietly bubbling away, garnering a fan base all of its own for its incredible recreation of the beautiful game.
Then things changed. EA realised that FIFA had stopped resembling the sport it was trying to emulate and went back to the drawing board for the start of the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation. FIFA was good again, and Pro Evo couldn't keep up.
But now, PES and FIFA are on a more even peg. However, PES 2017 still has a lot of ground to cover to make sure it maintains its reputation.
We'll be collating everything we know about PES 2017 here, so make sure to keep it bookmarked.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 is to launch sometime in the Autumn and will release on PS4, Xbox One and PC. Perhaps surprisingly given that many games are moving away from the last console generation, PES 2017 is also coming to Xbox 360 and PS3.
We'd guess that the final PES 2017 release date will lie in September. It's a standard launch window every year; giving Konami time to get in all the last minute transfers before the game goes live.
So PES 2017 is all about what Konami is describing as "control reality", which means fans can expect more realistic shooting, passing, dribbling and player intelligence.
It all starts with Real Touch, which sees different players control the ball in unique and unpredictable ways - something that will dictate the flow of the game.
This feeds into Precise Pass, which is described by Konami as an art form in the new game. "The pass that is made on the best situation and timing will generate a perfect trajectory, creating a great satisfaction when a killer pass is made."As you might expect the graphics are set to be improved; stadia, fans, players and the hallowed turf are all being upgraded thanks to further incorporation of the Fox Engine.
According to Konami: "Nothing has been left untouched, from player models, lighting, crowds, pitch stadiums totally revamped. Never has a game looked so real."
This will also benefit the Natural Player Movement, as the devs add hundreds of animations to bring the players to life and give each one its own personality.
The bottom line is; we hope Konami realise just how special this game could be and now, given the future of Metal Gear Solid is in limbo, it's more important than everthat they make it the best it can be.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 will be with us later in the year, but you can expect more details to be revealed around E3 in June.
